Serena Williams Battles Rafael Nadal at the Lotte New York Palace Badminton Tournament

For the Lotte New York Palace’s fourth annual pre–U.S. Open invitational, top tennis pros took to the hotel’s temporary court with rackets in hand. Only they were competing in badminton. The central plaza of the 135-year-old establishment played host to three games, each three minutes long—and all were just as much about good cheer as they were victory. Alexander and Mischa Zverev kicked off the action with a game punctuated by sibling rivalry. Venus Williams took on Nick Kyrgios soon after. And, for the final event, Serena Williams faced off against Rafael Nadal. All the while, the crowd cheered with Champagne in hand.

Both Williams sisters came to win—and they did not disappoint. With exceptional volleying and control of her own strength and power, Venus upended Kyrgios after many lead changes and multiple tie-breaking shots.

“I have definitely watched it at the Olympics,” Venus told Vogue, “but I know nothing about badminton except the game I played here last year.” One year earlier, Venus challenged Nadal in the premiere match. In a contentious finish, she was declared the victor, though it was Nadal who landed the winning shot. There was no rematch this year, alas.

When asked about her hopes moving forward, “winning,” was her answer—and it was evident that she was speaking about the U.S. Open. “This is just a nice way for all of us to have fun and not be so serious when the tournament is so serious,” she added. “You go over there and everything is palpable.” This was a sentiment echoed by her sister. “It’s a good kickoff to the tournament and one of the last relaxing moments before it starts,” Serena explained.

Serena was the first to score in her contest against Nadal. Both brought a level of intensity—underlined by playfulness—as yet unseen in the event’s history. Serena played wearing her signature Audemars Piguet wristwatch, as she does when on the tennis court. “It makes me feel good,” she noted. “It brings me some sort of peace.”

Serena maintained the lead for almost the entire game, but Nadal tied everything up with only seven seconds left. As the clock expired, Serena launched the shuttlecock just outside of Nadal’s reach with one well-placed swing. Victory was hers, 13–12. Altogether, it was a happy occasion for both Williams sisters, but as Serena explained, motherhood has “brought a happiness I thought I had but I actually didn’t. It’s made everything different.”